Libraries are non-judgmental in their attitude to readers; staff make the same effort, with the same courtesy, whether you want a new Mills & Boon romance or an A-level set text.  The result of this is that a broad section of the population feels comfortable in libraries, far more than in, say, an art gallery or a theatre.  The sense of familiarity and ease which people feel towards libraries is a source of great power which shouldn't be jeopardised.

Those of us involved in reader development need to think through why we believe the library should promote books and how we believe this is best done.  Use the questions in this section to explore your own views or pick a question out for debate in a training session or staff meeting.

Provocative questions give some excellent starting points for debate.  Each section after that gives an answer from Branching Out and then asks a further question for you to think about.  Want to air your views in response?  Go to Talking Shop.